CL Police Plan Safe Driving Crackdown for St. Patrick's Day Weekend

The Crystal Lake Police Department is urging drivers to celebrate St. Patrick's Day weekend.

The police department announced plans for the 2013 “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over/Click It or Ticket” crackdown for this St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

The intensified enforcement effort against drunken drivers and seat belt law violators underscores the disproportionate number of traffic deaths caused by alcohol consumption and failure to buckle up, Police Cmdr. Dan Dziewior said.

The stepped-up enforcement will begin March 14 and run through St. Patrick’s Day. Enforcement efforts will focus on the nighttime hours between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

According to data from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the midnight to 3 a.m. timeframe is the deadliest time on Illinois roadways, and 9 p.m. is the time of day when data shows that alcohol involvement and low seat belt use begins to play a much more significant role in motor vehicle fatalities. 

Data shows alcohol and lack of belt use continues throughout the nighttime hours until 6 a.m, Dziewior stated in a release.

Crystal Lake Police recommend motorists designate a sober driver and not let friends and family drive drunk to avoid a tragic crash or an arrest for drunk driving.

Other important tips include:

• Plan ahead.
• Designate a sober driver before going out and give that person your keys.
• If you are drunk, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely.
• Promptly report drunken drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement.
• Wear your seat belt and make sure all passengers are buckled up. It is your best defense against a drunk driver.

The law enforcement crackdown runs concurrently with a media campaign that reminds motorists to “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Click It or Ticket,” and is administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation with funds made available via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.